


Keep Your Hand In Mine

by Itneveroccurredtomeatall



Category: Doctor Who (2005), Torchwood
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, F/M, M/M, Zombie Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-27
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:41:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27222907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Itneveroccurredtomeatall/pseuds/Itneveroccurredtomeatall
Summary: Ianto’s Tuesday morning started off the way many of his best dreams did. He woke up a few minutes before his 6 a.m. alarm, took a shower, and drank a cup of coffee (a fresh, dark roast). Then the handsome man who had just moved in across the hall started knocking on his door. Only, unlike in his dreams, the man was there to tell him that it was only a matter of hours before Cardiff was overrun by zombies.(A Zombie Apocalypse AU for the Torchwood Halloween Fest 2020)
Relationships: Colin Colchester-Price/Mr. Colchester, Gwen Cooper/Rhys Williams, Jack Harkness/Ianto Jones, Owen Harper/Toshiko Sato
Kudos: 33
Collections: Torchwood Fan Fests: Halloween Fest 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is for week 3 (creatures, witches, & cryptids) of the Torchwood Fan Fests: Halloween Fest 2020! 
> 
> I'll update the tags as more characters are introduced! I'm definitely planning on Jack and Ianto meeting other members of Torchwood (though it's an AU where none of them work for Torchwood) and other characters from Torchwood and Doctor Who (for the shows and the audios). I might have some other chapters focused on other characters. We'll see :) 
> 
> Due to the nature of a zombie apocalypse, there will be some semi-graphic descriptions of violence later, stressful situations, bad language, and possible death.

Ianto’s Tuesday morning started off the way many of his best dreams did. He woke up a few minutes before his 6 a.m. alarm, took a shower, and drank a cup of coffee (a fresh, dark roast). He was ready for another long, but fulfilling day at the museum. Then the handsome man who had just moved in across the hall started knocking on his door. 

Ianto had missed the man’s arrival but had heard from some of the building’s other residents that his name was Jack and he was as charming as he was handsome.

“Good morning, how can I-” 

But Jack hurriedly barrelled past Ianto, pushing his way into the flat, before Ianto could finish. This wasn’t anything like his dreams had been. Well, maybe a little. But in his dreams the man had started kissing him as soon as he entered Ianto’s flat. 

“Hey!” Ianto protested. “You can’t just barge in here like that.” 

The man may have been the most gorgeous person Ianto had ever laid eyes on but that didn’t make him exempt from Ianto’s strict no-shoes-in-the-flat rule. 

“Shut the door,” Jack replied, his voice tight and, Ianto noted, American. Apparently, the other residents of the building had forgotten to mention that. “Now.” 

Something in his tone and demeanor made Ianto obey. He quickly shut and locked the door. 

“Do you want to tell me what’s going on?” he demanded as he whirled back to face the man. 

“Zombies is what’s going on,” the other man said impatiently. 

“Sorry… did you say zombies?” 

Jack marched over to the coffee table and seized the television remote. He flicked on the television and Ianto immediately wanted him to turn it off. 

On the screen, a crowd of people in London were trapped on Westminster Bridge while groups of, well, zombies, Ianto supposed, attacked them from either side of the bridge. 

“Oh my god,” Ianto muttered as the zombies slowly began to gain the upper hand and the number of survivors on the bridge diminished. Wave after wave of zombies cut down the people on the bridge until they had cleared the bridge of all survivors and were left with only the dead and the undead.

“Yeah,” Jack said flatly as he shut the television off. “Luckily, Cardiff’s not so bad. Yet. Give it a few hours,” he added darkly. “The Welsh start their days a little later than Londoners so the commuters haven’t arrived in Cardiff yet and most people are still home sleeping in their beds.”

Ianto nodded mutely, his mind racing. Zombies. Zombies weren’t real, were they? Surely not. Those people on the bridge had been infected with something. Maybe rabies. Or maybe it was all an elaborate PR stunt to promote some sort of energy drink that they marketed as something that could revive even the dead. Or maybe-

“We need to get out of the city before everyone else clogs up the streets,” Jack said, interrupting Ianto’s stream of thoughts. Jack paused and cocked his head as if he had just remembered something important. “You’re Ianto, right?” 

Ianto swallowed, desperately trying to ensure his voice wouldn’t shake when he answered, and nodded. “Ianto Jones,” he confirmed. 

“I’m Jack Harkness,” Jack said. “Pack anything you might need. You won’t be coming back for a long time.” 

* * *

Ianto left Jack puttering away impatiently in his flat’s small kitchen. 

As soon as he was out of the man’s line of sight, Ianto pulled out his phone. 

No service. Damn. 

He shoved it back in his pocket and headed to his room to pack.

Hurriedly, Ianto stuffed clothes in a bag. Sure, suits wouldn’t be practical, but he couldn’t just leave them. Not all of them, anyway. He decided to keep the one he was wearing and pack a spare in addition to more practical options like the cargo pants he’d received from his godmother as a Christmas gift. 

“They’re all the rage, these days,” she’d told him proudly as he’d unwrapped them. He hadn’t had the heart to tell her that, in fact, cargo pants were not the rage these days and, back when they had been, it had been a truly awful time for fashion. 

In addition to clothes, Ianto shoved a pocket knife, the water bottle that lived on his bedside table, a torch, and spare batteries in his bag. He tucked David and Mica’s most recent school photos between the pages of his diary and added that, too. 

They were in America. Rhiannon had won an all-expenses paid trip to the Strip in Las Vegas for drinking the right can of Coke from a vending machine. If all was going well, David and Mica were watching television in the hotel room while Rhiannon spent time at the spa and Johnny gambled in the casino. Perhaps an ocean was far enough to stop the spread of… zombie-ism. Ianto hoped so. 

He grabbed the first-aid kit from the bathroom and returned to the kitchen to find Jack holding one of his kitchen knives up to the light and squinting at it. 

“Ready?” Jack asked as he placed the knife and the knife sharpener in a rather large Tupperware container and then placed that in his own bag. 

Ianto nodded. “I’m ready.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At the end of a long night shift at the research facility, Owen finds a baffling report. A hamster died. Five hours later, it was exercising on its wheel.

Owen Harper yawned as he stared at the screen in front of him. Night shifts were truly the worst and it didn’t help when your colleagues couldn’t write up a report properly. 

The results were, in a word, baffling. Clearly some idiot had been shit-faced while typing up the reports. Why would a hamster be running on the wheel five hours after its time of death?

Owen’s money was on the intern. Why Martha had allowed an intern to do such important work was anyone’s guess and Owen was in no position to question her authority but, when people handed in shoddy work like this ridiculous report, he wanted to. 

It wasn’t that he didn’t like Martha. He did. She was smart, beautiful, kind, and took none of his shit. She was also a transfer from London swooping in to take the promotion he had earned after working for five years in the shit hole that was the Cardiff branch’s research facility. 

When he’d graduated from medical school, this was not what he’d imagined he’d be doing. He’d wanted to help people. And, he supposed, the research he was doing did help people. Or it would in five to fifteen years once everything was cleared and triple-checked. But it wasn’t the same as saving someone’s life on the operating table. Not that he had the stomach for that anymore. Not since Katie…. 

Suddenly, Owen’s screen went black. He swore and attempted to turn the monitor back on with no success. 

“Tosh?” Owen called out. “I think I’m gonna need your help over here.” 

A few moments later Toshiko Sato, the facility’s IT expert, was standing behind Owen’s chair, leaning over him to peer at his screen. With a few quick keystrokes, she managed to reboot the machine. 

“Ta,” Owen muttered. 

“It’s no problem,” Tosh replied with a slight blush. 

Owen knew she had had a crush on him for years. He was certain everyone at the facility knew by this point. Tosh was many things but subtle she was not. 

For the most part, he ignored it. Crushes came and went. Only hers never went. Still workplace romances were never a good idea so he continued to brush her off and avoid any conversations that weren’t strictly work-related. It was for the best. 

“While you’re here, Tosh, mind taking a look at something for me?”

Predictably, Tosh leapt at the chance to help him. “Sure!”

“It’s this report,” Owen said as he pulled up the window. “It says here," he pointed to the relevant part of the report, "that the subject died at 2 in the afternoon. Then, later that evening, the subject is running in the hamster wheel.” 

Tosh’s brow furrowed as she read the report. 

“That’s not possible,” she said finally, turning her gaze to Owen. 

“That’s what I thought,” Owen said. “Has the intern been drinking again? Or maybe it was that woman from the American branch. She’s always using the 12-hour clock and not military time.” 

Then the phone on Owen’s desk rang.

“Owen Harper,” he said. 

“Owen, it’s Martha,” came the response. “I’m on my way in. Something’s gone wrong in London. Now, I don’t want you to panic but make sure that everyone stays in the building. It should just be you, Toshiko, and Alonso tonight. Alright? I’ll be there in thirty minutes.” 

“Alright.” 

“Alright,” Martha repeated. “I’ll see you soon,” she said before hanging up. 

Owen replaced the phone in its cradle. 

“Martha says something’s gone wrong in London,” he informed Tosh. “It’s just you and I on the night shift, right?” 

Tosh nodded. “Skeleton crew for Monday - Tuesday,” she confirmed. “It’s us and the security guard.” 

“Where is Alonso?” Owen asked. 

Tosh shrugged and Owen pushed back his chair and stood up. 

“I’ll find him. Wait here. Martha will be here in half an hour. We’re not supposed to leave the building.” 

“I’ll look into what’s happening in London,” she said as she began typing rapidly on Owen’s keyboard. 

Owen gave a sharp nod and headed off to find Alonso.


	3. Chapter 3

They decided on taking Ianto’s car. Better to have a window between them and the zombies than nothing. And, hopefully, they were leaving early enough that they wouldn’t encounter anyone or anything they shouldn’t.

For the first ten minutes or so, the streets were quiet. Nothing like Westminster Bridge had been. No living corpses. No panic. It was just like any other day in Cardiff before the sun rose. There were a few drunks still stumbling around from the night before and a few very early commuters. Some birds were gathered around an overflowing bin and pecking at morsels of food that had been left behind. 

When they drove past the coffee shop on the end of the street that Ianto stopped at on his way to work (for the pastries, not the coffee), he noticed that the lights were still off. He hoped that meant Glenda had decided to home in Hengoed. Hopefully, she’d be alright there.

Ianto still drove slowly despite the lack of traffic on the roads. 

“Where am I going, Jack?” he finally asked after a few minutes of creeping down mostly deserted streets.

“Head for the Brecon Beacons,” Jack ordered. “My family has an old farmhouse we might be able to wait this out in. It’s large and secluded. It should have enough food to get us through at least a few months.”

Months. Would this really take months to sort out? Ianto wondered. Surely the country’s best and brightest were already working on a solution. That is, if they hadn’t already been turned. He quickly shoved that depressing thought away. 

“Though, if you know of a grocery store, I think we should stock up on non-perishable foods. You didn’t have much at your flat.” 

Ianto frowned and prepared to defend his choice in foods. “That’s because preservatives are-”

“Stop!” Jack ordered suddenly.

Ianto slammed on the brake and the car came to a grinding halt. 

A little ways down the road, a lone figure was shuffling toward them. 

Ianto squinted at it, trying to make out its features in the pre-dawn light. “Is that…?” 

“Looks like it,” Jack said grimly.

Ianto put the car in reverse and backed up to the last intersection before taking a right. 

“This will be better,” he told Jack. “There’s a corner shop just up here.” 

A few moments later, he pulled into the parking lot and the two men got out of the car, their bags slung over their shoulders. 

“I don’t think they’re open,” Ianto said as he approached the shop and peered in the window. 

Jack flashed him a grin. “Well, lucky for you, I know a lot about getting into places I shouldn’t.” 

Ianto watched as the man pulled out a small kit, knelt in front of the door, and set to work picking the lock. 

“Jack,” Ianto began as he glanced around wearily. 

“It’s fine, Ianto,” Jack said as he pushed the door open and stepped inside the small shop. “Don’t worry. I’m sure whoever owns this will have bigger things to worry about than a picked lock and a few missing items.” 

Ianto took one last look around and followed him in. 

The inside of the shop was cramped. Shelves lined every wall and every surface was stacked to full capacity. 

Ianto immediately headed for the shelf full of protein bars while Jack wandered off in the direction of the sports drinks. 

Ianto quickly shoved as many bars as would fit in his bag before heading in the direction of the cereal boxes. He opened a box of Cheerios and added the clear bag to his stash and then proceeded to the box of chocolate bars by the checkout counter. He also grabbed a few lighters, a pack of zip ties, and a rain poncho.

And then the alarm started to wail. 


	4. Chapter 4

Gwen Cooper had already been up for an hour trying to lull Anwen back to sleep when the news that London was facing what news reporters were calling “zombies” and that it was only a matter of time before they arrived in Cardiff broke. 

She phoned Andy as soon as the news segment had finished and he picked up on the first ring. 

“Andy, are you seeing this?” she demanded.

“Yes... I am,” came Andy’s voice over the line. 

“And you haven’t heard from anyone?” 

“No, not yet. I tried calling, well, I called everyone I could think of. Tried the mayor, the chief constable, members of the Senedd, anyone who might know what to do, but… no answer. Not a single one.”

Gwen snorted. “‘Course not. They’re probably already on a private jet to a deserted island to wait this out.” 

“Probably,” Andy agreed wearily. 

“And we’re on our own.” 

“What-what do we do?” Andy asked. Gwen could hear his rising panic over the phone. “I mean, what about all those people? How are we supposed to save them? Should we gather them at the station? Pass out rations? Can we even do that? Have rations been delivered? I mean, what about-” 

“Andy,” Gwen cut in, “we have to leave the city.”

There was a long pause. Then, “Leave? Where are just under half a million people going to go? Cardiff’s the biggest metropolitan area in the country.” 

“No, _we_ have to leave. Everyone else… they’ll work it out for themselves,” Gwen said as she bit her lip and rocked Anwen gently. 

“We can’t just abandon them!” Andy protested. ”We’re _police officers_ , Gwen. We’ve a duty to protect them.” 

Gwen frowned. “Andy, it’s quite possibly the end of the world. You and I are no longer police officers. Our boss and our boss’ boss and everyone else up the chain of command have, most likely, already left. It’s not-” she broke off, took a deep breath and then continued. “The responsibility to save everyone shouldn’t have to be ours.”

“So we’re not going to save anyone except for ourselves,” Andy said flatly. “Gwen, I can’t believe you-” 

“Andy,” she said firmly, cutting him off, “I’m leaving. With Anwen. With Rhys. With or without you. We’re going to the countryside. I suggest you do the same and, if that’s what you decide to do, you’re welcome to join us.”

Gwen resisted the urge to shout at him to make him see sense. To make him see that, police officer or not, the situation was already out of hand and there was nothing they could do about it. Even though there hadn’t been any reports of zombies in Cardiff yet, it was only a matter of time. And then chaos would break out and what good would a handful of police officers with a missing chief constable do for a mass of angry and scared Cardiffians? 

“I’ll go to the station,” Andy said finally. “Get some guns - that always helps in the films - and gather anyone I can find. You should get out with Rhys and Anwen. I’ll meet you… at Pen y Fan?” 

“Okay. I’ll-”

And then the line went dead. 

Gwen frowned at her phone and hit call back only to receive the out of service message. 

“Damn it.” 

* * *

She’d packed their bags before Rhys had even woken up, moving quietly in the dark, trying to let him enjoy what may well be his last night of good sleep while Anwen watched her with curious eyes.

When she woke Rhys up to tell him the news, he listened to her, nodded, told her she was having a nightmare, and then rolled back over, burying his face in his pillow. 

“Rhys!” Gwen hissed. “Get up! We need to leave Cardiff before it’s too late.” 

Rhys rolled back over and must have seen Gwen’s frantic gaze for he sat up and nodded. 

“Alright, just let me grab my-” 

“I’ve already packed,” Gwen informed him. “Everything’s in the car.” 

Rhys blinked. “Did you get my-” 

“I packed everything you’d want that’s actually useful,” Gwen said. “So, no, I have not packed that signed rugby photo. Use the loo and get dressed.”

Rhys, looking more than a little put out, nodded and headed for the bathroom. 

* * *

The streets were dark and deserted as Gwen carefully pulled out of the driveway. 

Rhys had insisted on bringing the framed rugby photo and Gwen hadn't had time to argue with him over it so it was tucked between Rhys' seat and the centre console and Anwen was sleeping in his arms. 

The back of the car was filled to the brim with supplies, clothing, and food. She could barely see out the rearview mirror. 

“Wait,” Rhys said suddenly. 

“What?” Gwen hit the brakes and turned to find a smug smile on Rhys’ face. 

“I’ve an idea. Don’t know how I didn’t think of it earlier. I suppose I’m not a morning person. Never have been, if i’m honest. If you ask me, no one should be up before the sun’s up,” Rhys rambled on. 

“Well?” Gewn arched an eyebrow expectantly. “Out with it.”

“Harwood’s,” Rhys said simply as he practically beamed at Gwen. 

A slow grin spread across Gwen’s face. “Oh, Rhys Williams, I could kiss you!” 


	5. Chapter 5

Tosh stared at the screen in disbelief as she watched people being slaughtered in London. 

The door banged open and she turned to see Owen and Alonso walking in. 

“You need to see this,” she said as she pushed her chair back, moving away from the monitor. 

“Tosh, are you alright? You look-” Alonso began as he approached her. 

“Just watch the video,” Tosh said. 

Alonso frowned but stepped forward to take Tosh’s place in front of the monitor and clicked the play button. 

“That’s what’s happening in London?” Alonso asked once the clip had finished playing. “Oh my god! _Oh my god!_ ”

Tosh gave a sharp nod and Owen said nothing. 

“Martha’ll be here soon, right?” Alonso looked to Owen for confirmation and Owen nodded, his eyes not leaving the screen even though the video had ended. 

“She’ll know what to do,” Alonso continued confidently and Tosh didn’t have the heart to tell him that, as brilliant as Martha Jones was, it would be highly unlikely that she would have the solution to what appeared to be a rapidly spreading virus. 

It turned out that she had been right. 

By the time Martha Jones arrived, the situation in London had worsened and Cardiff was predicted to be headed the same way soon. 

“I am going to work on finding a cure,” Martha said firmly the instant she walked in the door. “You’re welcome to stay or leave but I’ll be staying here.” She paused. “I won’t judge you if you choose to leave,” she continued.

For a moment, no one said anything. 

“I’ll stay,” Tosh volunteered, breaking the silence. 

Alonso nodded in agreement. “Me, too.”

Martha turned to Owen. 

“I’ll stay,” he said. 

She gave a sharp nod. “Alright, we need to come up with a plan. We need to be efficient and safe because these next few hours are _crucial_.” 

* * *

In the end, they decided that it would be best to stock up on the essentials before things got worse. While the research facility was a little ways away from the city centre, it was close enough that, if Cardiff went anything like London had, they’d be in big trouble, if not for the secure walls surrounding the facility.

They’d originally been erected to keep trespassers out. In particular, the press had taken to climbing trees nearby and using telephoto lenses to snap images of the work that was occurring within the building. After a major press leak had occurred, the research facility had invested in tall walls and heightened security around the clock. 

Martha and Owen would head to the branch’s secondary storage facility to gather more medical equipment and chemicals while Tosh and Alonso would drive to the nearest shop to stock up on non-perishables and anything else they could find that might be useful. They’d all drive separately to maximize the amount of supplies they could bring back.

“We’ll meet back here in two hours,” Martha said as they entered the car park. “Be careful out there.”

“We’ll see you soon,” Tosh said as she headed toward her car. 

One by one, they drove out of the car park; Tosh and Alonso turned right while Martha and Owen turned left when they reached the end of the drive.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for updating so slowly! I hope you enjoy this chapter! :)

Andy sat in stunned silence after the line had been cut and any attempt at getting through to Gwen had resulted in the standard out of service message. 

He groaned as he stood up and tossed his mobile onto the couch.

_ Fuck. Fuck. Fuck,  _ seemed to be the only thought running through his head for several minutes as he paced back and forth across the living room floor. 

Eventually, he managed to snap himself out of it and made his way toward his bedroom. 

He got dressed in the dark, opting for his usual uniform as if today were a normal day and he was heading out for his early morning shift to catch those dog walkers who couldn’t be bothered to pick up their pet’s shit in the park instead of, quite possibly, heading out to face the end of the world. 

Most days, he hated the uniform. He always seemed to overheat when he wore it, no matter how cold it was. The hat always seemed to sit a little unevenly on his head. And, on days he had to wear the hi-viz jacket, he felt like some sort of beacon. For what, he wasn’t quite sure. 

Or maybe the hi-vis jacket made him more like some sort of amateur model wearing the new most terrible trend in haute couture. He’d seen the photos in the tabloids from the fashion weeks and wouldn’t put it past some designer to stick someone in one of the jackets and call it a day. 

Either way, he felt that the bright yellow made him look even paler than he already was and it certainly wasn’t a flattering look. 

But today, he found the uniform comforting. It seemed fitting to wear it as it society seemed poised to crumble at any moment. 

Andy hurriedly filled his car with all the essentials and a few non-essential but sentimental items, before beginning the drive toward the station. 

The streets were deserted and he was grateful. He wasn’t sure what he’d do if he saw a zombie. As it was, he wasn’t the most comfortable driver. It had taken him three tries to pass the test in the first place and he’d been hesitant behind the wheel ever since failing that first time. 

It was the responsibility, he thought. The idea that, if he took his eyes off the road for one second, he could hit someone, terrified him. If he took a turn a little too sharply and a little too quickly, he could end up wrapped around a telephone pole and they’d be calling his mother with the bad news once they’d extracted him. If he didn’t slow down quick enough, or the driver behind him didn’t stop, he could end up barrelling through an intersection and crashing into someone else. 

Luckily, he made it to the station without any issues and, as he pulled into the parking lot, he spotted two figures standing near the station’s front doors. 

He was too far away to see if they were, well,  _ people _ or not so he slowed the car to a crawl and approached them carefully, ready to peel out of the parking lot, if necessary. 

As he drew nearer, he saw, to his relief, that they were  _ people _ so he shut the car off a few feet in front of the entrance and got out of the car.

“He’s a policeman,” he heard one of them say as he rounded the front of the car and approached them. 

“My name’s Andy, Andy Davidson,” he said. 

“Colchester,” one of the men said, his voice deep and his gaze sharp as he stepped forward and held out his hand.

They shook hands before Andy turned to the other man. 

“My name’s Colin,” he said as he offered Andy a tight smile and they shook hands. “We didn’t know where else to go,” he told Andy, “and we thought someone here might know what to do.” 

Andy swallowed as he caught sight of the hope in Colin’s eyes. 

“I-well…” 

“Let me guess,” Colchester cut in. “You don’t know what you’re doing?” 

“No!” Andy replied hastily. “I’ve got a plan. I’m meeting a friend at Pen Y Fan and I came here to gather some guns and then-” 

“Ah, I see.” Colchester paused. “So, no one in your department has been in contact? The government has no plans? The police force is being, yet again, entirely useless? No one’s going to help us?” He gestured at himself and Colin furiously. “And the millions of civilians out there like us?”

Andy bristled. “Well, I-” He paused when he realized Colchester had a point and slumped his shoulders. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly as he looked down. “I’ll help you, though. Come with me to Pen Y Fan. If you want to, that is. I’m sure Gwen wouldn’t mind and-sorry, I’m rambling. Let’s just get inside, yeah? It isn’t safe out here.”

He stepped up to the door, swiped his ID card, and entered his pin number. 

The door unlocked and he stepped aside to let Colin and Colchester into the station. 


End file.
